Tuesday 30 July 2013

Salzburg




The hottest day of the summer so far …. so we might be a bit silly planning a trip to Salzburg today however, we were awake early so at 7am, we set off the 20 miles or so to our parking spot and caught the 8.30 bus into the city while all was quiet – and cool.   It was lovely walking the streets of Mozart’s birthplace (no chance of forgetting that) where all the shops are geared up with the usual tourist gifts and chocolates, ‘Mozart Kuchen’. 

     

After a short stroll around the shops with their intricate wrought iron signs outside we decided to make the long climb up to the castle and were soon joined by a sweet Chinese girl who was also trying to find the correct path upwards.  We all puzzled for a while trying to find the shortest walking route up to the fortress but quite soon she led us by using the map on her phone, with her young legs and us getting quite tired.  In the end she waited for us and pretended to be our guide using her hat as a pointer and chattering all the time.  It was all quite funny and made us forget our exhaustion.


Back down in the city various musical events were in preparation, one of which was being filmed for TV and we could see the performers all dressed up in Victorian type clothes in the now searing heat – poor things.



Once over the bridge (almost full with love-locks), we found the lovely gardens with the views of the castle in the distance and a bench in the shade to rest awhile.  References to “The Sound of Music” are everywhere in and around Salzburg and we saw at least four different coach companies with ‘Original Sound of Music Tour’ advertisements emblazoned on them. We just happened upon the Pegasus fountain (the Do-Re-Mi song) and the Wedding venue at Monsee without realising we had become part of it all.




In stark contrast, there was also a grim reminder of the war years just around the corner.  Numerous small square brass plaques have been set into the pavement at irregular intervals; the name of the person and date (1941/3) when shot and killed …….  We wondered what their story was.   
  
One last climb up to the hill on this side and we were all done in ….. just time to take one more photo from on high and we had to be back to catch the bus, just beside another ice cream stand, thank goodness! 
This ends our two weeks travelling around Austria ….. in fact we parked just over the border in Germany while in Salzburg and will carry on our trip westwards now.



We both agree that Austria has been the prettiest country we have visited on our trip so far and we have been very lucky with the weather for almost all of the time.  We have walked and cycled almost every day so feel quite fit, so long as the heat doesn’t wear us down that is! 

One of those tour buses!

The fuel is very cheap compared with Italy but most other things are more expensive and include a high tourist tax.  We look forward to returning again one day and exploring the eastern side of the country and southern Lakes in Carinthia.

Mission Impossible - cat-flap Austrian style! 





   

       

Monday 15 July 2013

The Italian Dolomites

Having enjoyed a lovely time in Venice and the surrounding countryside we have now ventured north, and upwards, into the Dolomite mountains.  To the east of the Alps the rock colour is lighter and pinker and the peaks are quite weathered and blunt, so the visual experience is quite different – and pleasing.

There is a lovely mixture of alpine meadows and pine wooded slopes out of which loom the vertical stacks of the mountains themselves, and quite surprisingly for July there is plenty of snow on the north facing slopes.  Needless to say the roads are quite winding with the ascent or descent in the steeper parts being a series of hairpin bends.  However we take these nice and steady in the van and have had no problems.  

Lake Mis near Belluno

As we drive through this wonderful landscape our fellow road users are mainly Lycra clad cyclists out on their road bikes (both men & women) and motorcyclists.  Not the Sunday morning racer boys but couples on touring bikes with their big panniers.  I would think 9 out of 10 bikes are the big BMW GS1200 touring bikes – a fair mix of Italian and German registered bikes.  In fact we have seen no other British registered motorhomes since we entered the Dolomites and have only seen about 5 British registered cars!

Snow in July

Being up in the mountains the motorhome comes into it’s own as we have stayed at some lovely spots.  A night at the small hamlet of Taibon (northwest of Belluno) where we were woken about 7.30 am to the sound of sheep (see Jeans diary entry on the Blog site for more details), 



followed by a night at Alleghe where we had a lovely bike ride around the lake and to the next two villages.  Part of the cycle route we took is used as a cross-country (Nordic) skiing route in the winter!  The next day we made a longer journey north to Arabba (height about 1800 metres) where we had a family skiing holiday about 9 years ago.  It looks quite different in the summer sun, and is still a lovely self-contained, and unspoilt, village.

Bike ride at Alleghe

Alleghe across the lake


The Sella at Arabba

More windy roads the following day with uphill driving to a high level pass in the mountains at Passo di Falzarego where we stopped for a walk and lunch break.  As it’s one of the highest passes in the area it is very popular with motorhomers, cyclists, motorbikers and the large tourist coaches who visit the roadside cafes and souvenir shops, however stick on your walking boots get walking and you are very soon in quiet mountain countryside.  There is a telecabin that takes you right up to the mountain peak from which you can walk back down, but we could see some of the way at the top was within the snow, so we passed on that!  Plenty of colourful Alpine flowers were enjoyed along the way.






After lunch it was downhill winding roads to Cortina d’Ampezzo where we stopped for a walk around – but a bit ritzy for us so we moved on to a stopping place by a nice lake at Misurina.  Again, quiet and peaceful and a lovely morning stroll around the lake (after thunder the night before), we had lunch at the van and then set off along the valley to Auronzo di Cadore where we parked at an aire which was easy cycling distance from the town.  A drive through town along a strip with some nice shops, although very much centred on walking clothing.

Cortina

Lake Misurina

Auronzo

The next day we decided to travel east along the valley to our furthest point and were pleasantly surprised by Sapadda.  The aire was set in a lovely bowl with a river running through and mountain peaks all around us.  See Jeans diary pages for more detailed information about the farm shop, town and fishing lake.  

Sappade - ski piste in winter, golf course in summer!

Two nights here were followed by a drive up a steep and windy dead end road to a remote restaurant and aire at Albergo Gasperina.  A remote place with walks through the meadows and forests with the big grey peaks looking down over us.  Rivers and streams abound – in fact at one point we came to a stream that was just to deep to cross with our shoes on, and the footbridge had been washed away when the spring ice melt had no doubt washed through, so it was time for a bit of improvisation.  I found some large rocks and tossed them into the stream at the shallowest part and built up enough to create some stepping stones.  With steady feet I made it across to the other side where I did the same and built up more stepping stones.  I threw Jeans walking pole back over the stream and she set off across – however not being so steady she managed to slip and get both feet immersed in the cool water.  So it was shoes and socks off for a wring and dry out!

Steady!

Whoops!

Typical mountain farmhouse

So the next, and final day in Italy dawned and we departed the Albergo (after they proffered a complimentary coffee each) for the drive further up into the mountains – to San Candido/Innichen (near the border with Austria it seems that the place names are in both Italian and Austrian, as are most signs).  A fairly narrow and windy road with plenty of hairpin bends, and lovely mountain views.  W thought we would get a last night in Italy but it seems most of the aires are no longer there, and the one we did find near the border was right alongside the main road and needless to say quite noisy, so we decided to cross into Austria.

As we have travelled in northern Italy and the Dolomites we have seen many war memorials about the 1915 – 1918 war, we assume there was some conflict between the Italians and Austrians (or what would have been the Hapsburgs?) – we must investigate this when we get the chance.

We’ve also seen many lovely Alpine flowers – small delicate flowers in lovely colours such as pale blue, violet and yellow.  And in particular an abundance of orchids.




Don’t forget to look at Jeans Diary entries for more detailed information.